When we as readers fall in love with a book, we fall a bit in love with its creator.By paying careful attention to the ways an author has caught our attention and kept us captivated, we can learn from the best of all teachers.I encourage every student to find authors who speak to them clearly and strongly. When I was a fifth grade I loved the work of Lucy Maud Montgomery. As I grew older, Ernest Hemingway became my favorite. I read those authors again and again. I began to speak in their sentences.Below are a series of links to beloved fifth grade authors to get you started in finding the authors who speak to you.
A simple suggestion for studying authors is to read their work again and again.Look that their craft - CLOSELY.How do they use words? Do they emphasize certain character types? Do you they always begin their stories with a poem, a quote, or a powerful experience for the main character? Do they use dialogue frequently? What about humor? When do they make you want to cry or cringe?How do you think they do that?

Sharon Creech

Grace Lin

Betsy Byers

Gary Paulsen

Katherine Paterson

Judy Blume

Peg Kehret

Andrew Clements

Susan Cooper

Kate and Sarah Klise

Nikki Grimes

Lemony Snicket

Cynthia Rylant

Jack Gantos

Mike Lupica

C. S. Lewis

Kate DiCamillo

Avi

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Gordon Korman

Rick Riordian

Will Hobbs

Virgina Hamilton

Madeline L'Engle

Jerry Spinelli

Suzanne Collins

Beverly Cleary

Louis Sachar

Walter Dean Myers

Christopher Paul Curtis

Lois Lowry

Phyillis Reynolds Naylor

Jeanne DuPrau

Karen Hesse